It is the tradition of spirituality that binds India together, not communities Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Sunday.
“We are not people bonded by communities, communities come and go with time, different sects and traditions develop. But we are bound by an unbreakable bond of spirituality, this is what provides us strength,” Mr. Modi said.
According to Mr. Modi, a unique feature of India is that in spite of the fact that rulers have come and gone, and there have been attacks and atrocities on the people, nothing could damage the tradition of spirituality.
He was addressing a function here to mark the centenary celebrations of Gaudiya Mission, a Vaishnav missionary organisation following the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a 15th century spiritual leader from eastern India, and one of the pioneers of the Bhakti movement.
Referring to the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and other saints of the period, Mr. Modi said “seeds of India’s freedom struggle were sown with the Bhakti movement.” Speaking on social and religious reformers of the country, Mr. Modi said: “In India, you must have seen that in every age when the society is ridden with evils, it is from the Hindu society that a reformer emerges and challenges the existing system.”
Social reformEmphasising on the need for social reform, he said “a society that does not correct itself, does not learn from its history, cannot survive; it only exists like a corpse.”
On his way back, the Prime Minister was greeted by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who had rushed to the airport to meet him before his departure.
